This Month

Tuesday: March 26, 2013

11:30 am

@The Exchange700 1/2 W. Sheridan Ave.,Oklahoma City, Oklahoma73102

OverDrive Your Javascript.

##”About “Overdrive Your Javascript”

This month, we are going to rev up your Javascript RPM’s to the Full Throttle Ultimate Extreme Maximum™. There’s many ways to drive your Javascript. Some methods are more successful than others. I tried hot gluing a steering wheel to my computer case, and found that technique to be largely ineffective. Don’t make the same mistake I did! Come to this month’s meeting and let some experts show you how to insert driving pun here!

One technique available is to run a test driver. This means you use a navigation and scripting testing utility to ensure your code is running smoothly. How can you ensure your enduser’s web experience has set the cruise control to cool? You need to test your javascript! You can auto fill and submit forms, define and order browsing navigation steps, capture screenshots, log events, scrape web content and a host of other things to make sure your site is really working. CasperJS is a tool for the job, and Michael Sarchet is going to help you get started.

Another way to drive your Javascript is to implement a library to help make autonomous characters move in a realistic manner. The general term for this is ‘steering behavior’. This can include wandering, seeking and randomness, avoidance, and any other way things ‘move’. You might need to do this if you’re implementing some advanced interactivity, building a game, or doing some creative project. Ben VanTreese is working on a library to do this in javascript, and he is going to present it at this month’s meeting.